Simon

In 2004, a little boy named Simon Sudman was born. He weighed almost seven pounds and had an APGAR score of eight and nine. He was 50% for weight and 25% for height.

Every few hours, he’d finish a bottle (except for a four-hour stretch overnight). At seven weeks, Simon smiled for the first time. He died 47 days later. The initial diagnosis was sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

What happened next is the reason that Simon's Fund is here today. The pediatrician told Phyllis and Darren to get their hearts checked, and Phyllis was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome (LQTS). This condition has been linked to up to 15% of all SIDS deaths and is one of several conditions that cause sudden cardiac arrest in children.

The Sudmans started Simon’s Fund (a 501(c)(3) organization) so that no other parent would lose a child to a detectable and treatable heart condition.